The Iron Prince
by PasoMaddie
Summary: Ash and Meghan have finally gotten their happy ending. However, how long will that happy ending last for? Will the life that grows inside of Megan threaten to crack that happy ending or will it make the happy ending stronger? AshxMeghan
1. Chapter 1

THE IRON PRINCE

An Iron Fey Fanfiction  
The Iron Fey written by Julie Kagawa

I stood in front of the mirror, in a bathroom that connected to the bedroom that I shared with my faery knight. I stared at my pale reflection, my fingers trailing over the long scars that still remained after my near death experience against the former Iron King, Ferrum. Even though the Iron Realm had healed me of my injuries, it hadn't been enough to take all of the reminders away; it had still left me with the ugly scars that trailed across my chest and stomach. They disturbed me each and every day; every day that I had to look at them was just another reminder of what I had almost lost. My life and my husband.

Ash knew they made me uncomfortable and he told me I was beautiful every day, that the scars were just another part of me that he loved. "My bravery," He had said to me once, before brushing a kiss to one that just poked out from under my shirt.

I shivered at the memory and drew my bath robes around me, obscuring the ugly white lines from view.

Ash was sitting up in bed when I emerged, a worn book in his hands. He glanced up at me when I approached, a soft smile gracing his features. Never could I get over how much I loved him; never could I ever figure out how this former winter prince was mine and nobody else's; never could I ever figure out what he saw in me to love me so much.

I settled beside him on the covers, curling up against his side so that we fit together like two puzzle pieces. He planted a kiss on the top of my head, one hand coming up to stroke my hair as he continued to read.

I must have dozed off for a little bit because the next thing I knew, I was being awoken by a knock at the door and a voice calling for me. I drew myself up and travelled to the door where Glitch waited on the other side.

He glanced down at what I was wearing; hair tussled and looking like it hadn't been brushed for years; bath robe that was crumpled; probably lines on my cheek from the fabric of Ash's shirt. I glanced back at the silent faery on my bed and saw that he was watching us silently, silver eyes bright.

"Good evening, Your Majesty. I don't mean to interrupt but have you forgotten your plans for this evening?"

A look of confusion passed across my face and then it popped into my head. "Oh my gosh! It's the dinner with my father tonight!" I began to hurry around the room, opening and closing drawers, pulling out pieces of clothing. "Thanks Glitch! I will be out in a few minutes."

The door closed behind him as he left and then I was faced with Ash who clambered out of the bed to stand in front of me, his hands firm on my shoulders. "What's this dinner with your father thing?"

"Crap, I forgot to tell you." I muttered and cursed myself. I had been forgetting many things lately and this was only just one of them. "We are going to the Summer Realm to have dinner with Oberon and Titania."

"Both of us?" He questioned as I reached into my closet and pulled out a floor length royal blue gown. I tossed it onto the bed, turned to answer but stopped as I felt a rush of nausea flood over me. I clutched the edge of the bed for balance and watched as Ash's silver eyes turned concern. He moved cautiously towards me, his arms outstretched in front of him as if he was confronting a wild, scared animal. "Meghan… are you alright?"

I bolted, ignoring his voice as he called out my name. I barely made it to the bathroom before I was emptying the contents of my stomach. I felt Ash's cool hands touch my back lightly and as he pulled my hair away from my face, his fingers lightly brushing the knobs of my spine in a comforting way. Finally I pulled away from the toilet and leaned heavily against my knight's chest.

His hand moved up to cup my forehead, checking to see if I had a fever. I shivered at his touch. "Meghan… maybe you shouldn't go tonight…"

I shook my head and pushed against him, using him to help me stand. I washed my mouth out quickly and ran the bristles of my toothbrush along my teeth, trying to dislodge the bitter aftertaste.

***PAGE BREAK***

Glitch was waiting for us beside a carriage when we emerged from the bedroom, hand in hand. Ash had tried several more times to get me not to go but every time I had refused. My father would not look kindly on me if I didn't arrive, no matter what the circumstances. And honestly, I felt fine now.

We stepped up into the carriage and I felt it begin to move. I leaned back against Ash's chest as we moved, feeling his steady heartbeat through my dress. I tossed some situations around in my head as we went, thinking of all of the reasons why I had felt sick, why I had been so tired and forgetful… it popped into my head when we weren't far away from my father's realm and I considered discussing it with Ash, but it wouldn't have been fair to him, to burden him with my thoughts when we were minutes away from dining with Oberon, the Summer King, my father.

I was grateful for Ash's silence along the way too. I could sense him wanting to talk to me, wanting to ask what was wrong with me, but he didn't, just left me alone with my thoughts. I don't think he will ever realise how grateful I was of it in that moment.

Oberon greeted us as we swept into the dining room, my arm linked with the former Winter prince's. My father talked small talk with us, mostly about politics though. He sensed that there was something happening between Ash and I, so he wrapped things up early.

On the carriage ride home, Ash and I barely spoke a word and it wasn't until we had gone into the privacy of our bedroom that we began to speak.

"Ash…" I began, unsure how to say the next few words that had been on my mind all night. He glanced at me, silver eyes bright and concerned. He urged me on with his eyes, pleading with me to tell him what was wrong. I took a big breath in, preparing myself for his reaction and then let it blurt out so fast that surely he wouldn't have been able to catch it. "I'm pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

His whole body seemed to lock up until it looked as if it was a wound up spring, ready to explode at any moment. The blood had all but drained from his face and behind his eyes he seemed to be having some sort of internal war.

He opened his mouth to speak but quickly clamped it shut. Ash seemed to be at a loss for words; well there's a first.

I stepped forward and took his hand in mine, feeling it cold and unresponsive as he was still frozen in place. Slowly, his fingers began to curl around mine, one by one, until it was eventually entirely wrapped around mine, squeezing tightly. Eventually his gaze shifted from the spot on the wall down to mine. As I stared, I watched as his silver eyes began to gleam, literally gleam. Suddenly his lips were on mine with a crushing force. Our mouths worked together and I felt his hand slip down from my shoulder to rest over my stomach, where if I actually was pregnant, our baby would be.

I was the first one to pull away and for a moment, all we could do was stare into each other's eyes; silver on blue. His hand slipped down to rest over my stomach, where our baby would be if I really was pregnant.

"Maybe I should get a test before we get too excited…"

"Too late," He murmured and grinned, his thumb brushing the fabric of my dress over my stomach. I placed my hand over his while he continued, "But maybe you are right. We'll go into the mortal world tomorrow and pick a test up."

I pulled my head back sharply to peer into his silver eyes. He looked back questioningly at me, confused at my sudden movement. "Can we go tonight? I want to go tonight. I don't want to wait. If we go tomorrow, I won't be able to sleep due to the wonder and anticipation that is built up inside of me."

Ash's eyes softened and he raised his hand and placed it gently on my cheek, his thumb skimming across my cheekbone. "If that's what you want, that's what we'll do." One corner of his mouth quirked up. "We can't have Her Majesty not sleeping, can we?"

Playfully, I swatted Ash gently on the arm and he chuckled, before I went out to find my lieutenant.

***PAGE BREAK***

Glitch, my lieutenant, was found to be strolling around the corridors of the palace, speaking with one of the many guards. He walked with his hands clasped behind his back, talking with such ease that I really didn't want to go up to him, for fear of ending their conversation. However, before I could quickly retreat back to the bedroom, Glitch had already caught site of me. He raised one of his hands and waved me over. Now, there was no turning back.

I smiled friendly at the both of them as I made my way over to them. They bowed as I approached. "Your Majesty." Glitch greeted and the lieutenant and guard said farewell to each other. He turned back to me. "What can I do for you?"

"Ash and I need to leave for the Mortal world tonight." Glitch frowned uncertainly at me. "Just for an hour or two at least."

"Why do you need to go tonight?"

"It's important and we need to leave as soon as possible. In fact, now would be even better." I could feel the tension and anxiety building up inside me, the longing to know whether I carried another person inside of me or not. I couldn't stand to wait another hour or two, I had to know now.

I don't know whether Glitch could see the panic across my face or the way my body was strung tight with anticipation, but he nodded and said, "I will fetch a carriage right away, Your Majesty and I will look after the Kingdom until you return."

"Thank you, Glitch." And I hurried back towards the bedroom where my husband waited.

***PAGE BREAK***

Ash and I waited outside of the palace as the carriage pulled up and Glitch stepped forward to open the door. We stepped up but before we could depart, Glitch told us to be careful and I promised him that we would. As the door closed and the carriage took off, I felt Ash's arms circle around me and I leant back against him, feeling his heart hammer through his chest. He pressed his cool lips to the back of my head and I shivered against him. Thinking I was cold, he drew me closer.

"Ash," I whispered so quietly I wasn't sure that he would hear me. But he brushed my hair away from the back of my neck and hummed at me to continue. "What if I'm not? … But what if I am?" My mind was whirling with all of these possibilities, of what ifs and what nots… I didn't know what I wanted. I could feel a headache dawning and I rubbed the back of my hand across my forehead wearily.

"We'll get to that when we're absolutely sure of the answer. Whatever happens, I love you and I always will. Nothing will ever change that."

I turned around and pressed my lips to Ash's. I heard him breathe in deeply and then he was returning my act of love, pressing his lips to mine just as passionately. Suddenly, the coach stopped moving and the door was flung open, revealing the driver.

"Your Majesty, we are here." Ash stepped down first, before turning around to help me down. Once I was safely on the ground, we left the carriage behind and ventured into the Wyld Wood towards the pod that would take us to the Mortal World.

Ash slipped his hand into mine as we walked and I couldn't help but tighten my grip on his. He casted me a glance but didn't say anything. Suddenly, a loud roar ran through the open space and bounced off the trees around us. We stopped in our tracks and silently, Ash moved in front of me, shielding me with his body.

I wasn't scared; I had battled many creatures that had big sharp teeth and claws and I had battled against the former Iron Kings. However, nevertheless, I didn't loosen my grip on Ash's hand and I reached forward with my free hand to take the back of his jacket in my hand. He turned his head slightly, casting a glance at me over his shoulder. Reassuringly, he smiled and whatever had been spiralling in me to react like that softened, but I still didn't let go. I was content to keep holding onto him like that.

Together, as one, we kept walking forward until we were only a few feet away from the opening of the pod. Unlike what we had been expecting, there was nothing waiting for us; no dragon, no angry goblin, nothing. The hand that was clutching Ash's shirt tightened until the fabric was fisted in my hand, probably wrinkling the fabric.

Suddenly, I felt something grip my own white T-shirt and I screamed, finally letting go of Ash. He whipped around, his sword already out. He threw me behind him and I felt the fabric of my shirt tear down the back from whatever had been holding it. Instantly, I felt the cool air of the Wyld Wood cut through the fabric and onto my exposed back.

Ash was already at battle against the dragon that was guarding the pod, his sword whipping through the air and slicing down on the dragon's arm. The dragon squealed in pain and anguish and whipped one of its clawed paws out and caught Ash on the arm. I screamed a _no!_ and raced forward, my own blade coming out to defend my husband. My knight tried to push me backwards, out of the way and out of the fight. But I protested and continued fighting. No one got to hurt my husband if I had anything to do about it.

Ash stabbed and stabbed at the dragon and it dragged its attention to him. This left a moment open, where I could get in and stab it through the heart. I dived forward, my sword held in front of me. I didn't see or feel the sword enter the body of the dragon but I heard its scream and felt the slackness of its body as it began to fall forward, towards me. I stood frozen, unable to move as the heavy and large body of the beast began to fall in my direction. I felt a hand close around my forearm that tugged me out of the way, just seconds before the body came to a crash on the ground.

I was yanked roughly to him as his arms circled tightly around me and his lips pressed hard against my forehead. He sighed in relief and kissed my lips. He pulled back and brushed the hair from my face, cupping my cheeks between his palms. "I'll say this once and I will say this again, being with you is never boring. But God," He leaned his forehead against mine, the tip of his nose touching mine. "You scared me to death."

His hands brushed the bare skin on my back and I shivered at his touch. He drew his jacket down his shoulders and placed it around mine. Gratefully, I tugged my arms into it, instantly feeling much better. That was when I noticed the blood and the gash on his arm. And I looked down at the fabric of his jacket sleeve and saw tears in it.

Lightly, I reached out and touched the edge of one of the cuts. He didn't flinch but I felt the muscles in his arm tighten ever so softly. I glanced up with concern, my heart going out to him. "Ash…" I murmured under my breath, hating that he was in pain, that he had been hurt.

He smiled softly at me, probably hoping to diffuse my concern but it didn't work. "Meghan, it's alright. I'm fine. Just a scratch." When I didn't look convinced and my worried expression remained, he reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair from my face. "Really. Come on, let's go." Before I could protest anymore, he was tugging me into the pod and into the Mortal World.

***PAGE BREAK***

There were so many pregnancy tests to choose from, ones that did this, ones that did that, different brands. It was all overwhelming. Ash suggested asking somebody for help but I shook my head and grabbed a random one, already walking towards the counter. My husband quickly caught up, another two in his hands. 'Just to be sure.' He said.

And then we were in our bedroom, having returned from the mortal world. I paced impatiently outside the bathroom door, wanting the three minutes to be over already. Ash sat on our bed, watching me with bright silver eyes.

He got up from the bed and caught at my wrist before I could do another tiring lap. It was well past midnight and weariness weighed down on me heavily; however the anticipation was keeping me wide awake. Ash pulled me to the bed and pushed me down into a sitting position. He sat down beside me and gathered me into his arms.

After a few minutes, I sighed heavily, afraid to ask the question that we were both wondering. "Is it time yet?" Ash glanced at the watch that I had given him for his birthday last year, and silently nodded.

I brushed my sweaty palms onto my jeans and stood, Ash following after me and taking my hand in his. We drew closer and closer towards the sink until we were staring down at the white sticks that would predict our future.

I put a hand up to my mouth as I gasped.

Positive. I was pregnant.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Pregnant. I couldn't believe it. I was pregnant. I was carrying a small, dependent being inside of me. My hand slipped from my mouth and fell onto my stomach, my fingers slipping under my t-shirt to rest on my still flat belly.

I began to turn in Ash's direction, my open, shocked expression turning into one of pure joy and excitement. But as soon as my eyes were just beginning to take in the form of my husband, I saw several objects fall off the bench that he had been leaning against. Some, which had been made out of glass, instantly shattered and broke into thousands of pieces. The glass spread all around us. And then my hands were reaching out towards him, trying to catch him as he fell.

I wasn't strong enough to support him on my own and my arms shook under his weight. Eventually I couldn't hold him any longer and we slid onto the ground, into the puddle of shards of glass. His head fell into my lap, his eyes connected with mine. They started to flutter closed, the blood draining rapidly from his face. Frantically, I slapped his cheek and his eyes cracked opened again.

"Ash, stay awake! Keep your eyes on me, okay?" I shouted. I glanced up from his face, my eyes scanning the room. "Help!" I called out, praying that someone would hear me and come to the rescue. "Help! Please help!" While I waited and called out helplessly, I continued to slap Ash on the cheek and brush my hands through his hair, sometimes pressing my lips to his, anything to try and keep him awake.

Finally, a bunch of guards burst through and assessed the situation and then Glitch was passing through all of them to get to the front. "Your Majesty!" He exclaimed. "What happened?" I just shook my head and waited until they brought in a stretcher to take him to the hospital wing. They all moved out and I followed quickly behind them.

They quickly shifted him onto a bed and began analysing him. I mumbled about the fight we had had earlier that night against the dragon, and then I remembered the cut on his arm. They instantly started evaluating it and realised that the claws had been poisonous. I felt my heart plunge out of my chest and to the floor. It had only been minutes that I had been so happy after finding out about our child, but now it felt like an eternity ago.

I was forced to wait outside of the room that he was occupying while doctors ran around trying to save him. I sat with my head in one of my hands, the other brushing my stomach, the place where our baby was growing. Ash had to be all right; if he wasn't, I wasn't sure what I would do. Ash was my rock, my friend, my husband, and now we were having a baby together, one that couldn't, _wouldn't_ live without a father.

I heard a door open and close and I glanced up wearily. It must have been the early hours of the morning but sleep was a place far away for me. If something happened to Ash, I wasn't quite sure what I would do, especially now, when a baby slept inside my womb.

One of the main doctors emerged from Ash's room and I launched myself to my feet, already demanding if my husband was okay. "Is he okay? Is he going to be all right?"

A soft, reassuring smile spread over his face and that in itself was enough to slow my throbbing heart slightly. "He's fine. We managed to eradicate the poison from his blood and he is making a rapid recovery. He's a fighter."

I smiled knowingly. "I know he is. Can I see him?" That was the next question I demanded, anxious to see for myself that Ash was all right.

"Of course." And I brushed past him and into the room. Ash was unconscious, lying on his back with his chest naked. I sank into the chair beside his bed and clutched his hand in mine. "Oh, Ash…" I murmured and lowered my head down to his hand and pressed a kiss to it.

Eventually I must have fallen asleep, my head resting on the bed, on top of Ash's warm hand. I wasn't sure how long I was asleep for but the next thing I knew, someone was brushing the hair off my face. My eyes slowly fluttered open, only feeling like I had slept for a few minutes. The first thing I saw was the white walls of the infirmary and suddenly the events of last night flooded back to me.

"Ash?" I murmured anxiously and sat up. He was sitting up in the bed, his hand still locked around mine. "Oh, Ash!" I exclaimed and launched myself into his arms. "You—you can't just do that to me!"

He pushed his face into the curve of my collarbone, breathing in my scent and I did the same to him. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." I crawled onto the bed beside him, and fitted myself against his side. His hand ran down the curve of my side and came to rest over my stomach. "So?" He prompted and I met his questioning gaze with a large grin. "Really?" He questioned hopefully.

I nodded and exclaimed, "Yes! It was positive, Ash. I'm pregnant." He pressed his lips to mine passionately, his hand curling in my hair.

***PAGE BREAK***

Ash was now out of the infirmary and was already back into training in the courtyard with Glitch. Although he was still slightly weak from the dragon poison, his body was becoming stronger and stronger each day.

I was now about three months along in my pregnancy. Ash and I had risked going out into the mortal world once more to have a check up with a mundane doctor. I suspected Ash did it more for my sake, as the mortal world was the one I had grown up in. I also secretly thought that he wanted to see our baby just as much as I did. Ultrasounds didn't exist in the faery world unfortunately, which meant if we ever wanted another appointment, we would have to go outside of our boundaries.

I remember when the ultrasound had clicked on, the cold gel spread over my stomach while the doctor rubbed a wand over my small belly. Tears had sprung to my eyes as soon as my gaze had made contact with the small thing that was currently growing inside of me. I couldn't believe how small it was, how something like that could be possibly growing inside of me. I had turned to Ash with a big, teary smile on my face and watched as one of his own tear's dropped down onto his cheek. I brushed it off his face and he brought his lips to mine.

I still carry the ultrasound picture around with me, wherever I go. It was always tucked into the pocket of my jeans, between my fingers at night, propped up on the bathroom sink. Ash wasn't much better. Whenever I didn't have it, he would, and it would follow him around for the rest of the day.

Today, we had decided to tell the Iron Court. I wasn't sure how they would take the news but I was excited to tell everyone. Telling everyone was a very real sign, that this wasn't just a dream that I would eventually wake up from. Telling everyone, meant that it was completely real, that I was going to be a mother and Ash would be a father, that I did indeed have a person growing inside of me. The thought scared me endlessly. I wasn't sure if I was ready for such a huge task, for someone else to be so dependent on me. Secretly, I felt like Ash had the same feelings, though he didn't voice them aloud. He never would. While he may be more open about his feelings than he used to, no longer the cold, Winter prince, he still didn't pour out his heart to me.

As I stood up in my chair, sweat beading along my forehead and inside my palms, the room fell quiet. Most of the Iron Kingdom was situated in the great hall. Anyone else who wasn't would hear it over the giant loudspeakers that were all over my kingdom.

I nervously wiped my sweaty palms onto my jeans and took a deep, reassuring breath. "Citizens of Mag Turiedh," Now I had everyone's attention. Now, I wasn't so sure I could do this. Once the words were said, there was no going back. What if people didn't take this lightly? What if people were unhappy about their queen having a child? Ash sensed my distress and stood up beside me, stepping close. He didn't touch me, just let me know that he was right beside me, ready to step in and defend me if need be. I was secretly grateful; it gave me the strength that I needed to continue. "I have come to tell you an announcement. I am expecting a child." And the expected reaction occurred; a rippling gasp effect. So far, thankfully, there were no major outbursts.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty." Glitch murmured under his breath as he stepped closer towards me.

"Thank you, Glitch."

Ash and I returned to our room shortly after and I immediately sank down onto the bed. It had been a long day, a day I was glad it had ended. Ash sauntered over and nuzzled into my side, his hand slipping down to my belly. I wasn't showing, not yet, well if I was, it wasn't by much.

"Hey, Baby." He whispered to my still flat belly, pushing up the fabric of my T-shirt and placing a big kiss over the top of my belly button which tickled slightly. I giggled under my breath quietly and squirmed under his touch. "This is your Daddy. I don't know if you can hear me but I love you very much, and your mummy too."

He lifted his head and brushed his lips against mine. That was enough to set the fire ball spreading through my belly. Instantly I wanted more. The soft, gentle kisses that told me he loved me turned into passionate, intimate kisses. His hands began to roam over my body, often settling on my belly while mine traced every one of his muscles that was hidden beneath the fabric of his shirt. Suddenly, I couldn't stand having his shirt in the way of my hands. I broke away from the kiss for a moment to yank the item of clothing over his head and throw it onto the ground.

We didn't go all the way. It was really just one big make out session. Afterwards we lay in bed, with me resting against his chest. I fell asleep like that, with my head cushioned against his chest, Ash's arm circled around me while his other held my small stomach protectively. I felt safe here in Ash's arms and never wanted to move out of them again, not for as long as I lived.

"I love you." I murmured to him in a sleepy voice.

I felt Ash press a kiss to the top of my head and nuzzled my face into his chest more. "And I, you. Good night, Meghan."

But I couldn't reply because I was too far gone.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Ugh, I was fat!

The mirror was lying, it had to be. Surely, I couldn't already be this big! I had just entered my fifth month and already my stomach was expanding. Clothes were no longer fitting me, I was eating a lot more than I used to, and just standing was exhausting. It was no lie; pregnancy was a killer.

My stomach was growing larger and larger every day, forcing me to waddle like a duck and nothing amused Ash more than my walk. The pregnancy had been rough on me. I was still suffering from terrible morning sickness which I had been told was perfectly normal, even though I was well into my second trimester. My mood swings were all over the place; I was normally either a full sobbing mess over the smallest of things such as being out of ice cream, or I was a raging bull because Ash would comment on my duck walk, or I was insanely happy because someone had finally got me more ice cream.

If being pregnant normally was hard, being pregnant while running a kingdom was even harder. Everyone demanded my presence at one meeting or another, when all I wanted to do was sleep and curl up against my knight while he rubbed circles on my swollen belly. Unfortunately, this wasn't a luxury I deserved. If anything, things had gotten busier since I became pregnant.

I was also very concerned as I had been informed that the baby would begin to kick around the time that I entered my fourth month. I was now in my fifth month and still, aside from the small butterfly motions, I hadn't felt one single kick. So, Ash and I had trekked back into the mortal world and had an appointment with the doctor who kindly relieved any concern we had. She told us not to be worried, that when our baby was ready, it would begin kicking.

Now, the Summer and Winter courts knew about my pregnancy as well. The Summer and Winter courts united for a short period of time to throw me a congratulations party and the action surprised me greatly. My father had seemed neither pleased nor disappointed in my getting pregnant, but he seemed in the middle. Mab, on the other hand, had been absolutely furious. Mab had lashed out with angry words and I think they hit Ash pretty hard. Ash had accepted that his home was now in Mag Turiedh and that he could never return to the winter realm, the place he had grown up in. He had accepted that because of me. Now, with me being tied to the iron realm in more ways than one, he had settled with me here and had always been content with it. However, after Mab's words had struck at him like knives, some of his icy guard had been put up in place again. This disappointed me greatly, he had come such a long way from the icy, winter prince to the open, warm knight he was today. He tried to hide his hurt feelings from me, to hide his auras, but I was good at reading him, I knew him too well to know when he was hiding something from me.

"Ash?" I questioned as I wandered into the library where he said he would be. I was going to get him to spill. I wandered through the many rows of books, one hand cradling my swollen belly. I had been getting these weird cramps throughout the day and some were very painful. I hadn't told Ash though, with my severe morning sickness, it was just another thing to worry about.

"Over here." Ash called and I followed the sound of his voice. He was settled in a large arm chair, a book resting on his lap. He glanced up as I made my way towards him and smiled slightly. There it was, I could see it flickering behind him, in those silver eyes of his, the wall that shielded him from me. His eyes were not as bright as they usually were. Right now, they were dull with emotions. "Hey," he greeted. "Everything okay?"

I took a deep reassuring breath. I was scared that he would take this all the wrong way, leave me, or something worse. "No, it isn't."

His mouth curved down into a frown and I desperately wanted to turn it upside down and pretend as if everything was perfectly fine. However, I couldn't let this come between us. On the day of our wedding, we had agreed to be open to each other and to be honest. He couldn't keep shutting me out. "What's wrong? Is it the baby?" Swiftly, he shut the book and began to get up, his hands reaching towards my belly. If he touched me, all thoughts would go flying out of my head. I took a step back and he sunk back into the chair, his frown only deepening. "Meghan?"

His voice was distracting, his body was distracting, his face was distracting. "Just listen, okay?" When I opened my eyes, he was nodding his head. "You can't keep shutting me out."

"I'm not—" He began to protest but I shook my head.

"Yes, you are, Ash." I broke off, feeling something tighten in my belly as a cramp rocked through my stomach. It took every last bit of energy in my body to push through it. "I can see the wall you've put up, the way you're shielding your feelings away from me. Just—_please_, Ash. Just let me in once and a while."

I was crouched over now, my hands on my knees, my breaths deep and shallow. "Meghan!" Ash exclaimed and leaped up. His hands curled around my forearms. Silently, he led me to the arm chair and helped me to sit in it. I leant back, putting both of my hands on my bump.

"Ash, the baby…" I murmured. I was beginning to feel physically sick, like my past meal was about to make a reappearance. I groaned. "I'm scared. Something's not right." Without another word, he swooped me out of the chair and into his arms, and began running down the hallway. The motion was sending my stomach rocking and I pressed my forehead into his chest to try and focus on holding my stomach together.

"Help!" He called and guards came running down the hallway.

"Your majesty! What happened?"

"I don't know! All I know is that we need to get her to the infirmary right now! Go ahead and alert them that we will be there any second." They looked unsure but nodded and sprinted towards the infirmary.

I whimpered softly into his chest as pain lanced through my abdomen. "Ash…"

"It's alright, Meghan. Everything will be okay.

But I wasn't so sure.

**A/N Hi guys, I know that this was a small chapter but I really wanted it to end on a cliff hanger. I promise that I won't leave you hanging for too long ;) Anyways, I'm not usually one to put author's notes on my fanfictions, in fact, I never do it. But now my views on author's notes are beginning to change. Now, I think they're a great idea and good way for readers to get to know the author a little bit more. So, I hope you liked this chapter (despite how short it was). Please review!**

**~PasoMaddie**


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